The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Switching of Places

"Where do I get my ice? That's a funny question, Your Eminence... You sure you don't work for the Power Distribution Agency? Seems an awful lot like you've got something you expect me to say... N-Not that I mind, of course! Any way I can be of service, I can..."

A nervous merchant stood stammering beside a cart filled with fish, in a market street dedicated entirely to the things. Even on ice, their smell was overwhelming, and Shinespark silently thanked her good constitution for letting her keep up a professional demeanor as she asked around. Fully disguised in white-and-gold armor, she earned exactly two reactions from everyone she met: admiration and fear.

"I'm mostly interested in any way to get a lot of ice for cheap," she interrupted the merchant to say. "Doesn't need to be clean or sanitary, just cold and a lot of it. You wouldn't have heard of anyone with way too much ice on their hooves they really want to get rid of, would you?"

Now the merchant just looked confused. "Umm, no? I'm sorry, Your Eminence, but anything that takes mana power to make is expensive. I could sell you mine if you bought my fish, too, but..."

"Thank you. You've told me all I needed to know." Shinespark stepped back, surrounded herself in a sapphire aura, and lifted into the sky, aware of the forest of eyes watching her go.

Puddles and Valey's trail through the teleportation guild hadn't been difficult to follow. Each visited office was in so much disarray it was like Puddles wanted to be followed, and the unicorns had refunded Shinespark's travel fee after they didn't have enough personnel who were warm enough to transport her. She had flown from outpost to outpost instead, following the trail of ice and mischief, taking more than a day and having to stop and spend the night at a less-vandalized building, and the path finally ended at the Goldoa coast, a horizon-capped line of waterfront development that seemed to alternate in waves between downtown districts and rich waterfront estates. Her method of searching from there was simple: Puddles left ice sculptures and explosions everywhere she went, so just look for unwanted ice. And what better way to find that than looking for ponies trying to profit off it?

After avoiding her cutie mark for so long, it felt almost alien to use it again. A few isolated incidents aside, she either hadn't needed it in the Griffon Empire, hadn't felt like it after everything that had happened with her and Braen in Ironridge, or flat-out couldn't use it to prevent anyone from drawing the connection between her and the mysterious Braen. But now she was Braen once again, the townscape changing beneath her as she flew, and she had too important of a job to do to worry about whether it felt like a happy reunion.

She kept her flight over the town as low as she dared, making sure she wouldn't miss any obvious frozen artwork in the streets. With half or more of the empire's population possessing wings, the airspace was hardly hers, and she couldn't even move at half her comfortable speed without risking a crash. Still, she flew far faster than a leisurely pace, blocks and alleys slipping past until her internal clock decided it was time to land and scout again.

Before she could pick out a likely-looking place to ask, though, an unusual structure a distance away caught her eye: a straight spur of something glinting, rising at forty-five degrees from a building's roof. Shinespark zipped to its side, suspicions confirmed with a grim smile.

"What the...?" A unicorn mare who was sawing at the base of the melting, broken ice spire stopped her work and blinked at Shinespark. "What are... I mean, who are you? Are you important? You aren't here for an investigation, are you?"

"Why?" Shinespark tilted her helmeted head. "Anything happen that's worth investigating? It would be useful to hear about it."

"I just work here..." the unicorn grumbled, dressed in a server's outfit. "I was on break, but they said an ice mage came in and started a fight."

"A fight? Where? Here?" Shinespark tapped the roof beneath her, wandering over to the edge and peering down. It was an alley, completely blocked by a disfigured mountain of ice nearly a dozen ponies and griffons were working at both ends of, hacking and sawing away and carving off big cubes of ice, probably to sell. "Is there any chance a batpony with a green mane and eyes was there?"

The unicorn frowned, kicking a hoof against the ice spike. "I told you, I was on break. Yes, here."

"Thanks! You've been a great help," Shinespark assured, dropping down from the roof and looking for a way in.

---

Valey tripped on the final stair to the Dream's dining hall, frozen forehooves deciding at last they didn't want to work anymore. Her cutie mark warned her, and she turned the tumble into a roll, landing on her back with her wings half spread and her legs somewhat in the air. Her stomach growled noisily.

"Valey!"

Maple was the first to reach her, glomping her in a full-body hug. "Valey, you made it back!" she cried, almost laughing. "I'm getting so tired of you being separated from us..."

"Hey, Ironflanks," Valey groaned, squashed between Maple and the floor. "Yeah, me too."

"Glad to see you back," Slipstream offered, giving a sure smile. Sirena nodded along from the wall where she sat.

"Yeah, yeah. Need food..." Valey panted, trying to get to her hooves.

"Your forehooves are frozen," Maple remarked, helping her up. "Hard fight with Puddles? I just finished cleaning up from dinner, but there were a few leftovers, and I'll happily make you anything you want."

Valey sighed, blowing on her hooves one at a time and then standing. "Eh. Something like that. So where is everyone? I saw Starlight up above."

Slipstream helpfully stepped in. "Gerardo is steering the ship, and Nyala is learning with him. We found out that since Shinespark developed her armor and this ship at the same time, there's an easy interface for her on the terminal, so if Nyala plugs in, she can control the ship just by thinking. And she doesn't need to sleep, so... Pretty neat, right?"

"You found out?" Valey frowned. "Wait, wouldn't Sparky just know that already?"

"Well, she isn't here, so..." Slipstream's ears folded. "She didn't find you?"

Valey blinked. "Uhhh... She was looking for me?"

Maple stopped in her tracks, breath catching. "So..."

"I, uhhh... yeah." Valey hung her head. "Tried my best to keep Puddles in check. Seriously, I did. Amber can tell you about it. Kinda messed me up, and I'm just gonna need some time to put my head back together before I do much more than trashing bozos, I think. In the end, stuff was looking bad enough I figured if I didn't just fight my way free and run when I had the chance, I might not get the chance to later. Didn't even see Sparky. Hope she steers clear, because that windigo is scary. You guys have some way of contacting her to tell her I'm safe and Puddles isn't worth it, right?"

"We had to put a plan together in a hurry! We did the best we could!" Maple cried, starting to look desperate. "Shinespark went through the teleportation guild to track you and Puddles, and we followed along so once she freed you and you caught her, the three of you could follow your way of smelling Starlight and we could pick you up! W-We didn't..."

"Think I could bust free on my own?" Valey sighed. "Yeah. Bananas. I haven't really been living up to my Ironridge reputation lately, have I...? And Puddles made a huge scene everywhere we went. Ice all over the place. No way Sparky won't find that if she's in the area. Well, this stinks."

"What are you going to do?" Slipstream asked, looking concerned. "This means Shinespark could be in the same position you were in, only more prepared but without a way to find us?"

Maple bit her lip. "I'd say we should find her, but if it's as dangerous as Valey says it is..." She shook her head. "I commit to so many things like this, and I'm never the one doing the most risking. And I have a problem with taking risks. I shouldn't decide."

"Mentally taxing," Valey corrected. "Mostly dangerous in that she'll drag you into situations where you're in danger from other stuff. When I left, she was trying to sign onto a crew of pirates with... Oh yeah, Pancake is back, too."

"Pirates?" Slipstream's eyes widened. "But that's illegal!"

Maple blinked. "Pancake? You mean Howe? He's..." Her face darkened. "He's in the empire? I still need to have words with him about the Flame District..."

Valey nodded, flicking her tail. "Yup. Same edgy mane and everything. Anyhow, you're gonna have to deal with him if... Ugh." She swallowed. "Bananas, I was looking forward to gloating about how I got away with as much as I did and actually didn't get wrecked by her when she was trying to catch me, and now we've gotta go back! Because I know where the place is and could totally figure out the general area, but Sparky's got no clue where we are. I just want a break..."

"Take a break, then," Maple urged, back at her side. "It's evening. You know how far away we are, right? It'll take more than a night to reach there?"

"Turn north at the mouth of the river," Valey sighed. "Yeah. Nnngh... Fine. But look, though. Capturing Puddles? Wallace said he beat her? Unless we can, like, get him to come take her out, or something, I'm pretty sure that'll be impossible. Sorry to break it to you, Ironflanks, but the big fish of Ironridge isn't actually unbeatable here in the big bad empire. I can give it my best, but subduing her just might be something I can't do."

"...Get some food," Maple urged. "And a safe night's sleep. You can join me and Starlight, if you like. And see how you feel about it in the morning."

Comments

[Mini-Joe]

with howe back, i hope this means shinespark sees grenada again

[Quinch]

I'm still wondering at what point is anyone going to remember the plot device that got introduced way back in Ironridge.